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Tug to retrieve body from Platino yacht

NZ Newswire 15/06/2016

A tugboat is on its way to retrieve the body of the New Zealand sailor killed on a yacht north of the country.

Auckland man Nick Saull, 47, was killed in what is believed to be a rigging accident aboard the 20m Platino in rough weather 550km north of New Zealand on Monday.

Another crewman, a 63-year-old man, was washed overboard and the aerial search for him has now been called off. The three surviving crew were rescued by the container ship Southern Lily and are now back in Auckland.

It was too dangerous to retrieve Mr Saull's body from the yacht in the rough seas.

Police say a tugboat left Whangarei on Tuesday, with a maritime officer aboard, to recover his body on behalf of the coroner.

The yacht's emergency beacon would allow the tug, the Sea Pelican, to find the Platino.

"It could take us two to three days to reach the yacht," said Inspector Vaughn Graham.